Mayor Rob Ford expressed surprise that a friend of his, a man who was investigated for his attempts to retrieve a video that appears to show the mayor smoking crack cocaine, has been arrested and charged with marijuana trafficking.

Alexander Lisi, 35, was also charged with possession of the proceeds of crime, possession of marijuana and conspiracy to commit an indictable offence, police said Wednesday.

“I’ve never seen him once do drugs,” Ford said at a press conference held at an Etobicoke Esso station near his house on Wednesday.

“He’s straight and narrow, and I’ve never once seen the guy drink,” Ford said. “He’s a good guy, and I don’t throw my friends under the bus.”

Ford said he couldn’t say much about Lisi’s arrest, since the matter is before the courts.

The mayor didn’t respond to a question about how investigations into Lisi may reflect on him.

Ford spent a large portion of the news conference criticizing the reporters who had staked out his house since early Wednesday morning.

The mayor then talked about his trip to Austin, Texas, which he left for Wednesday afternoon, before getting into his vehicle and driving away.

Before speaking with reporters, Ford was approached by a man while he walked up to the Esso station. The man shook Ford’s hand, thanking him for his work.

Earlier on Wednesday, Ford largely ignored reporters who had gone to his house seeking comment on Lisi’s arrest.

At one point, his staffers told reporters they should stop asking questions and leave.

Lisi and another man identified by witnesses as the owner of Richview Cleaners, at Richview Plaza at Eglinton Ave. W. and Wincott Dr., were taken into custody during a police raid on the small Etobicoke dry cleaning shop around 8 p.m. Tuesday.

The two men were identified Wednesday morning in a Toronto police statement released on behalf of homicide squad Det. Sgt. Gary Giroux, who has been leading a police investigation into attempts by Ford associates to get the video.

Jamshid Bahrami, 47, also of Toronto, is charged with possession of cocaine, three counts of trafficking in marijuana and conspiracy to commit an indictable offence.

Both men were scheduled to appear in court at Old City Hall on Wednesday, police said.

A recent Star investigation revealed that a special squad of Toronto police was investigating Lisi and Ford associate David Price on allegations they tried to retrieve the crack cocaine video after the Star broke news of its existence.